Christine Haveford
Two beautiful toddlers have been found dead alongside their mother.
The body of Nikita Landrum, 31, was identified on Wednesday, along with those of her 2-year-old son, Dariel Walker II, and her 3-year-old daughter, Mikayla Walker.
They were found dead behind an industrial building in Bay County, 100 miles north of where they lived, with a handgun at the scene.
It’s not clear how long the three had been dead before they were found.
The incident is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide, the Oakland Press reported.
The father of the children, Dariel Walker, Sr, who also lives in the Detroit area, has been arrested twice on domestic violence charges against Landrum, according to court records.
Members of Landrum’s community were shocked at the idea that she had killed her children, and then herself.
‘She always seemed like a pleasant person,’ neighbor Betsie Jackson told WDIV Channel 4 news.
‘I’m shocked,’ she said. ‘Because from appearances, you would never think something like that was going on.’
Landrum had filed a complaint against the children’s father on Friday claiming he had violated their joint custody agreement.
In 2016, Walker, Sr, pleaded no contest to a charge of domestic violence against Landrum.
He received a suspended sentence of 90 days in jail, probation and was ordered to have no contact with Landrum.
She then moved out of the home they shared in the Detrioit suburb of Farmington Hills on Forestville Street.
Prior to that, Walker, Sr, was arrested on a domestic violence charge against Landrum in 2014.
At one point, both Landrum and Walker, Sr, had mutual protective orders against each other.
After Landrum moved out in 2016, Walker, Sr, filed for joint custody of their children, which was awarded.
Landrum’s court filing from Friday was apparently prompted by Walker, Sr, keeping the children overnight on February 14.
Oak Park Police and Michigan State Police are investigating the deaths at this time.
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